This month, via the Word of God, I will be revealing some very vital secrets for a successful family life. Today, I shall be teaching on Digging your Family Garden to actualise your desires. The first assignment ever given to man was to keep and dress the garden God had placed him in. Keeping a garden implies a process that requires a farmer to dig around the plants, as he prunes and tends them.

Marriage and family are types of garden planted by God Himself for your pleasure, abundance and fulfilment. The dictionary defines a garden as a piece of ground that is used for growing things, such as flowers, fruits, vegetables, etc. This garden, however, is not ordinary. The Word of God makes us understand that it is full of treasures. What is a treasure? It is a highly valued object, which you can trade with to make great profits. This means that there are highly valued objects in the family garden, which you can trade profitably with, to bring you out of the realm of the natural to the supernatural, lack and want into super- abundance and out of problems into fulfilment.

However, it is important for you to understand that treasures are buried deep in the earth. You never see treasures just lying around on the surface, waiting for anybody to pick them. They are always buried in the earth. So, before you can lay hold on them, you have to do some digging. This, also, applies to marriage and family. Digging is required to have access to the treasures in the home. You will observe that I said digging, not wishing. That means you cannot get the treasures in marriage by wishing. Haven’t you heard, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride?” Well, wishes are not horses. So, you cannot stay in your house and say, “How I wish I can enjoy the treasures in the family.”

Do you want the treasures of peace, joy, fulfilment and satisfaction? Then you will have to go ahead to do some practical digging for those treasures. However, you cannot dig for your family treasures with a digger. There are tools (both spiritual and practical) that you require.

First of all, you will need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour or else the struggle continues. God Himself instituted marriage and placed man in the garden He planted. So, He alone knows where the treasures in that marriage garden are located. That is why you need Him to show you where and how to dig, otherwise, all your efforts will be eternally fruitless. He tells us expressly in His Word in John 15:5: …For without me ye can do nothing. That is why you cannot make it without Him.

Secondly, you will need the tool of WISDOM. Every wise farmer knows that in digging for treasures, wisdom is inevitable. Any careless digging could even destroy the very treasures you are seeking for. For instance, there is a technique required in harvesting yam tubers, in order not to destroy them. If you apply the technique used in harvesting maize, the yams will end up been useless. So also are the treasures in the marriage garden. The Bible says: Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established (Proverbs 24:3). Your family can only be built and established through the instrument of wisdom.

What is wisdom? Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. The Bible says: Wisdom is hearing the sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ and doing them (Matthew 7:24-25). It demands that you take steps in applying correctly all you have learnt of God in your family life. Only then, will you begin to reap the fruits of a successful home. The place of wisdom in building a successful marriage cannot be over-emphasized. In fact, the Bible says: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7). It is the principal thing on which all other things rest.

No matter how long you have been married, how smooth or how rough the journey has been, you can still lay hold on God’s treasure in your marriage and give Him a chance to use your home to show forth His glory this end-time. And so shall it be in Jesus’ Name!

This Sister’s testimony could also be reproduced in your own family: “When I was ready for marriage, I noticed that some things were working against me. But I was not a serious Christian then. However, when I re-dedicated my life fully to Jesus in 1992, it became obvious that I lacked wisdom and counsel. But, as I joined this church, through the depth of understanding in God’s Word shared and practised, my life and marriage acquired meaning and direction. My family has increased remarkably and I now apply myself to the wisdom of God that He has imparted in me, by reason of the teachings and ministrations I get here.” – Opara, C. C.

Divine help and wisdom come only from God, and the starting point is in accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you want to receive His free offer of salvation, say this prayer with me: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your blood. Deliver me form sin and satan to serve the living God. I believe You died for me and on the third day, You rose that I might be justified. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.

Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through [email protected], [email protected]; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).